Ichiban Fish House

Combo 1 ($11.99)

Haven't been to this place in a while. The salmon and tuna sashimi was quite fresh and flavorful. I like how they give a bit of each type - sashimi, sushi and California rolls. Sometimes they also give spicy salmon and salmon rolls instead of all California.

Tonkastu bento ($8.99)

Both the tempura and tonkatsu were quite dark in color. The pork coating was crispy but the meat itself was a very thin piece.

I've always thought Japanese food is the healthiest choice when dining out - light, fresh, Omega 3s, low in fat and not oily. I also thought it's relatively low in calories - how much could a few pieces of fish be? After doing some research, here's what I found:

California Roll (6 pieces): 255

Nigri (per piece)
Tuna (Bluefin): 50
Salmon: 56
White Tuna (Albacore): 56

Sashimi (per piece)
Salmon: 52
Tuna: 40
White Tuna: 49

Miso Soup: 40-50
Green Tea Ice Cream: 140
Pumpkin Tempura: 56 (medium size)

So according to the above, my lunch meal was over 1000 calories!! It really adds up (especially since I'm trying to lose weight right now). I wonder how this compares to other lunch combos such as baked rice at Hong Kong style cafes or any noodle/rice dishes... Regardless, I still love sushi and it was a nice meal to have after a difficult midterm.

Verdict: quality of sashimi is good and they have the best rolls! (california, spicy salmon, etc.) Also try their grilled mackerel!

Akina Japanese Cuisine

Steamed Egg  

 I like the enoki mushroom but not the 魚片.

Eel Sushi

 Very tiny portion of sushi with an even smaller piece of eel - so thin I could barely taste it.

Grilled Cuttlefish, Salmon and White Tuna Sashimi, Grilled Saba, Grilled Shrimp Skewers, Grilled Eggplant, Grilled Salmon Belly, Garlic Sirloin Cubes - all pretty good but white tuna sashimi wasn't the best.

Spider Roll (Soft Shell Crab)

The appearance of the rolls were quite neat compared to some ayce places that are sloppy with too much rice. The mango roll (not pictured) was made with avocado and cucumber topped with mango and mango sauce.

Kimchi Beef Hot Pot

 Pretty good! Very flavorful, not spicy.

Creme Brulee (Original), Japanese style (Green Tea)

The original creme brulee was surprisingly good. It was served cold and a good small portion. However, the green tea was bitter and did not taste like green tea. The egg white steamed milk (雙皮奶) was good too. 

I don't go to ayce places that often but my younger cousin wanted to go for her birthday. Visited Akina before and it's one of the better ayce places. Although it doesn't have tobiko (蟹子) salad/sushi and mussels, it offers a large variety of cooked foods, my favorites being the kimchi beef hot pot, garlic beef cubes, grilled saba and enoki beef rolls. The fish and tofu hot pot and fried scallop is good as well. It also has a unique selection of seven desserts in additional to ice cream. The large space is good for big groups but it doesn't feel very cozy.  $19.99 + 10% Mon-Thurs dinner.

Joey Don Mills

Tandoori Chicken Flatbread 

Sweet and spicy with a hint of maple taste and "Indian" flavor. The dough was harder/tougher than I thought it would be; it tasted like pizza crust. Also ordered Ahi Tuna Tacos and Yam Fries - I like the garlic mayo dip. Friends who ordered the Lobster Ravioli said it was nothing special, but the Ahi Tuna Club is supposed to be really good.

Sushi on 7

Aunt's birthday dinner @ Sushi on 7

Clockwise from top left: Tobiko salad, steamed egg (smooth egg with roe on top, nothing inside but still good), softshell crab/spicy salmon/eel avocado roll (a bit sloppy and not much filling?), kalbi, eel pizza (didn't like the deep fried eel; Riz was def. better), enoki beef roll, mussels

Haven't been to ayce in a long time because I definitely prefer a la carte with better quality but we decided to go to ayce for more variety for the kids. I've been to Sushi on 7 once before and I remember it being one of the better ayce restaurants, but it is very small inside and we were placed in a cramped corner table. 

Variety: Good - wide selection of cooked foods, rolls, rice, noodles. BUT they don't have one of my favourite ayce dishes - garlic sirloin cubes!

Taste: Good - cooked foods that I enjoyed were: grilled shrimp skewer, mussels (though no sake taste), enoki beef roll, grilled salmon belly, steamed egg, eggplant. Rolls were a bit sloppy with too much rice. Salmon sashimi was reasonably fresh. Ice cream was good. 

Price: $18.99/adult on Mon-Thurs. Remember to print off 10% off coupon

Recipe | Scones

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 14 minutes

This wet dough makes scones with an airy texture and crisp tops.  Enjoy warm straight from the oven with a hint of butter, jam or fresh cream. Recipe modified from Canadian Living.com

Before: Wet dough

Finished Product! Golden, crisp tops

Success!

Soft and airy inside

Makes 15 scones 

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 egg

3/4 milk 

Preparation

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With pastry blender, 2 knives or fingertips, cut in butter until in coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces. Mix in raisins.

In glass measure, beat egg with fork; add enough of the milk to make 1 cup (250 mL), stirring to blend. Remove 2 tbsp (25 mL) and set aside. 

Pour remaining mixture, all at once, into centre of flour mixture. Stir with fork just until dough comes together to form wet dough. Using hands, shape into ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface; pat out into scant 3/4-inch (2 cm) thickness.

Using floured 2-inch (5 cm) round cutter, cut out biscuits. Repeat with scraps once. Place on parchment paper–lined baking sheet; brush with reserved milk mixture. Bake in 425°F (220°C) oven until risen, golden and firm to the touch, about 14 minutes. 

Notes

Making scones was much easier than I thought. Under half an hour, does not make a mess and only requires a few simple ingredients. At first, I was worried that the dough was too wet and sticky, but they came out perfectly crisp on top and soft on the inside with a hint of buttery flavor. I don't have a pastry blender so I used my hands to mix the butter into the flour and I don't have a round cookie cutter so I just used my hands to form chunks/balls (don't roll them smooth if you prefer the natural crumble top)